Learning Forward

“I’ve just had my first evaluation in our new system. Now what do I do?”  This school year, countless teachers are participating in new evaluation systems. Many have invested deeply in gaining new knowledge and skills associated with their new evaluation frameworks. And as much as these new systems may […]

Learning teams must take many steps in making their time together meaningful and productive. In addition to knowing who is meeting, what student needs they’ll address, what norms they’ll set for their work, how they’ll find time, and how they’ll evaluate their work, they also need to carefully plan the […]

Schools rise and fall based on the quality of the teamwork that occurs within their walls. Well-functioning leadership and teaching teams are essential to the continuous improvement of teaching and learning. That is particularly true when schools have clearly articulated, stretching aspirations for the learning of all their students. Effective […]

By spring break, the common thread that bound together the team of middle school teachers with whom I worked as a professional development coach and planning team facilitator was unraveling at a rapid pace. The team’s students had presented to my colleagues a series of learning and behavioral challenges. When […]

Collaborative learning teams are improving teacher practice and student learning results in the Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District near Des Moines, Iowa. Since 2009, all teachers and principals in the district have participated in collaborative learning teams to study a process known as assessment for learning, in which formative assessment […]

The meeting was finished, and some teachers lingered. We had just completed grade-level revisions on writing rubrics. One teacher said, “I wish all collaboration could be this effective. We got so much done!” From a collaborative standpoint, the meeting had been a success. The group stayed focused, all teachers had […]

We Need to Talk Productive conversations are a central element of collaborative learning, and, in many cases, those conversations are difficult because of disagreements and conflicts. Here are resources that tackle how to approach contentious conversations. Many include tools and protocols, and each offers a particular framework to guide how to […]

DALLAS—March 6, 2013— Learning Forward announces the release of School-Based Professional Learning for Implementing the Common Core, a set of four web-based professional learning units for school and district leaders. The units are designed to help school-based leadership teams develop a shared body of knowledge about the procedures, processes, and structures involved […]

DALLAS—Feb. 21, 2013— Today's release of the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Challenges for School Leadership provides valuable information about teacher and principal needs, highlighting the increasing importance of high-quality professional learning. With the very real and immediate demands of implementing Common Core standards and new assessments along with the creation of […]